KIRO (岐路)
by Ro Oeuvre Belvedere
Summary: There were four individuals who came together as one. These four will defy what is expected of a ninja to mold their own road with many forks and free-willed freeways. Follow the crossroads of Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hagoromo Rouzakura as they pave their own road to ninja unorthodox of others. Including OCs made by DeviantARTists.
1. Graduation Jitters part 1

**K**

 **I**

 **R**

 **O**

 **SAGA I|Team Formation**

 **ARC 1|Students and Teacher**

 **1\. Graduation Jitters**

* * *

The sunbeams peek over the Hokage Monument. At the moment the Village Hidden in the Leaves is a sleeping town yet to be roused by the morning shine. Little did the denizens know, they're about to be awaken by a generous reveille.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

A lone boy stands tall, atop of the monument. He's wearing orange, his hair is wild gold spikes, and his smile is unimaginably wide. His posture is one of pride, his arms crossed and his planted feet spread. This boy is proud of his latest achievement—

"DEAREST KAMI-SAMA! LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DONE TO THE HOKAGE MONUMENT!"

—Especially since he did it undetected.

* * *

The silly boy's guffaws can be heard at impressive long range. People forced awake are grumbling and stumbling as they look disgruntled to the source. His thunderous laughter rings the even further, nicer neighborhoods from slumber. Within the bedroom of one middle-class house, a young girl hunches her shoulders as the noise pierces her closed windows. She yanks her covers over her head, and when that isn't enough moments later, she snatches a spare pillow to plug her exposed ear.

"It's too early for this…" She complains in a sleepy slur, "Couldn't he wait another twenty minutes…?"

After stubbornly trying to drift back to sleep, the girl eventually gives up and kicks off her comforter. Tossing her pillow aside, she runs her fingers through her long pink hair and carefully moves to stand. She stretches her limbs as she stumbles to her full body mirror, and after letting out a big yawn, she opens her eyes to look at herself.

Blossom pink hair, lush green eyes, fair skin, and freckles speckling across her cheeks. _'Yup, this is you.'_ The pinkette takes a deep breath, _'Well, Rouzakura, the graduation exam is tomorrow… think you can do it?'_

From the outside, the girl – Rouzakura – could hear distant shouts and could correctly guess that shinobi are now chasing the troublemaking jokester.

 _'_ … _Hopefully.'_

* * *

Even further from all the commotion is a solitary district. Two banners hang from the entrance, navy blue flags that each bear the same symbol: a red and white uchiwa fan. This symbol can be seen throughout the compound, which signifies that this large housing area is strictly for one particular family.

Such a family being the Uchiha. Yet despite the many houses, it's mostly barren, almost like a ghost town, and there's little life.

Such a life is already awake. He stands alone within the forestry of his family's private training grounds. His eyes are closed, he is silent and is perfectly still. Around him nature is lively – birds singing, distant gurgling of a creek, chattering of a squirrel.

Then, as a hawk soars he soars as well. Airborne upside-down, he suddenly has multiple kunai between his fingers. With swift precision he flings the blades in different directions, variously angling his body for every bullseye. Once the last knife leaves his hand he lands in an accurate crouch, and listens to the synchronized thuds of the targets being pierced.

At last he opens his eyes, unveiling black voids for irises. Examining his work, he noted it is near perfect: most of the targets have been hit dead center, only two have been a miss. The one in a tree is just a couple centimeters off, but the worse is the one behind the rock… the kunai is embedded at the outer edge.

Fists clenching and a frustrated sigh, the boy of nightly hair and eyes peer skyward, watching that very hawk disappearing in the clouds.

"… Not good enough."

 **岐**

 **路**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **AT LAST! The very first segment for my long-standing project! At first I wanted to do a prologue, but soon after I just want to jump right into it, so voila!**

 **So yeah, there's a different pink haired girl that's going to be the main heroine in this storyline. She is my OC, and I've been uploading her image on DeviantART under the name ReyReyReShawn if you're curious about her. I made it so she purposefully bears striking resemblance to Sakura, because through her I want to portray all the misfires I feel towards Sakura's characterization, while creating a girl who is NOT a fan-girl!**

 **Rest assured that Rouzakura is by no means a Sakura-knockoff, you will see how much she is her own person with her own dilemmas. Granted, her issues won't be as severe as Naruto's nor Sasuke's, but her problems in comparison would be like a breather from all the heaviness we will dive into with the boys.**

 **And some of you may have noticed that Sasuke's scene has been changed to an early morning training scene. Reviewing this I figured it'd make more sense for him to train before anything else, as he takes his development as a ninja seriously, ergo it should be the very first impression we get.**


	2. Graduation Jitters part 2

Ninja-style tag continues as Rouzakura, refreshed and wide awake, ventures downstairs for breakfast. Her mother just finished setting the table, and her older siblings are already seated. She goes for the chair next to her older brother.

"Morning, Rouzi!" He playfully pokes her cheek.

Rouzakura pouts and bats his finger away, but her mood soon changes to a radiant smile. "Ohayou, Rakuen-niichan."

"Sleep well, Imouto?" Asks the older girl sitting across from her.

"I slept fine, Rinkwa-neechan." She amiably nods. _'_ … _For the most part.'_ Her train of thought accentuates the continuing clamor outside.

The siblings' mother shakes her head as she sits at one end of the table. "That boy, such behavior."

"Aw, cut him some slack, Chihiro-chan." The man of the house rolls in, "With his life, it's amazing the kid can laugh at all." His wheelchair parks before his family.

"I understand that much, Totsuka-kun." Chihiro concedes, "However, I'm still dubious to allow our youngest child to associate with that boy."

Rouzakura huffs. "He's completely convivial, Kaachan, pure harmlessness. Besides, it's not like I'm an accomplice to his shenanigans."

Chihiro turns to her daughter. "Yes, your family knows that, but all those who don't know could potentially assume otherwise."

"It's been six years now, Ma." Rakuen rolls his amber eyes, "That whisker-faced kid hasn't corrupted little Rouzi here." He ruffles his baby sister's hair, making her squeal.

"Stop messing with my hair!" She swerves her attention to her giggly sister. "And who're you laughing at!?"

Rinkwa prettily tilts her head. "Oh nothing, just a fluff of cotton-candy."

Rouzakura cutely mimics the gesture. "Oh, and what does that make you, my sickly saccharine sister?"

"Sickly and saccharine are synonymous."

"They differentiate enough, and one word is never enough to describe you."

Rinkwa leans forward. "Is that so, _dearest_ Imouto?"

Rouzakura responds in kind. "Very much so, _sweetest_ Aneki."

"Whoa-whoa, Rini, Rouzi…" Rakuen gets between his sisters, "Why don't you two settle down and agree that you _both_ are nothing but masses of sugary pink goop?"

Both sisters gasp. "HYPOCRITICAL ONIICHAN!" They each grab and yank the fringe of their brother's _pink_ hair.

Rakuen yelps. "Help! I'm being pummeled by these pinky powder puffs!"

"DAMARE*!"

A sharp banging sound ceases the siblings' bickering. Turning slowly, they see their mother with a spoon she used to smack on the table. Chihiro wears a sickly saccharine smile. "Children, it's much too early, and I know I've raised you better than this."

Cue a unison of audible gulps. The three pink-haired siblings are effectively subdued and slump in their seats in perfect sync.

"Gomenasai…" They meekly chorus.

"Good. Eat up, Rouzakura, I know how much you prefer being in class early."

Rouzakura frowns. "Hai, Kaachan." She fills her plate in stale silence.

* * *

Sasuke sits alone in a kitchen area, drinking green tea while eating some rice balls, and a lone tomato in hand. The laughter of the goofball is not as loud but can still be heard clearly. The boy gives no sign of acknowledging the other boy's antics, he's just minding himself as he looks off through the walls into a distance he can only see.

"Sasuke?"

He doesn't respond to his name, not even as the girl addressing him comes closer. She looks a lot like him, only with long violet tresses instead of short black spikes, and longer eyelashes. Only the length of the table keeps them apart.

"Izumi-nee wanted to know if you'll join us for breakfast this time. She'd come in person, but she was called in earlier due to the commotion going on right now."

Sasuke spares the girl a fleeting glance. "No."

"But Juukei*—"

" _Harumi_." He emphasis her name.

His cousin – Harumi – flinches. The following silence is heavy and suffocating, and naturally Sasuke isn't the one to end it. "Okay…" Harumi whispers, rheumy eyed over giving up _again_. "Just remember that I'm here… that _we're_ here." She doesn't wait for him to never say anything, Harumi leaves as quietly as she came.

Once her presence no longer lingers, Sasuke turns his eyes to the place where she once stood, his expression sullen. _'I know you're all here, and I want you all here… but, I can't.'_ Lamenting over his weakness, Sasuke takes the first bite of his tomato.

"YOU BRAT!"

"YOU WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"

More insidious laughter. "IF YA CAN NAB ME, YA BITCHES! _DATTEBAYO!_ "

Sasuke sighs. _'Dobe…'_

* * *

Said "dead-last" had managed to do graffiti on the village's most sacred landmark under ANBU surveillance. That same "dead-last" is now easily evading chuunin _and_ jounin level shinobi in impressive speed from building to building, barely stepping on ground more than a millisecond.

The hysterical havoc does little to disturb Rouzakura, as she sits alone in her homeroom, reading a book titled _Mythos of Ninja_. Right now she's on the chapter concerning the enigmatic existence of a woman named Ootsutsuki Kaguya. She reads aloud:

 _Widely believed to be the origin of chakra, Kaguya's story remains one of many speculations; yet, two particular opinions have become renown. One theory suggest she's an avatar of one of our deities, delivered to the mortal world with the purpose to awaken humanity's subtle body of inner power. The second explores the notion that Kaguya is a preternatural being not of this world, or even this dimension – rather she is a mutated form of life from another realm, or possibly an extraterrestrial of an unknown planet. Because there are no sound documentation on Kaguya's official appearance, innumerable images from plainest woman to spectacular goddess to grotesque demoness have festered to this day._

 _As plainly notified, majorities believe Ootsutsuki Kaguya to be an essence beyond mortal comprehension. In fact, even the vague idea that Kaguya could plausibly be natural born of earthen soil is borderline (if not utterly) cockamamie. Though there remain the few who steadfastly believe there are secrets of our own Earth we have yet to uncover. One in particular is one Ky—_

"Having fun at your corner, Bookworm?"

Always invested when reading, Rouzakura is easily startled when disturbed. She lets out a short shriek and the text slips from her hands. Taking a few seconds for her heartbeat to regulate, she turns discontent to her disrupter. "Why are you here, Miyu? Shouldn't you be at your table with your prattling posse?"

Miyu stands over Rouzakura, casually twiddling with her short orange hair, and an unpleasant smirk curving her face. "I felt the need for a change of scenery, so I decided to see what it's like being in class _before_ class starts." Her violet irises mockingly surveys the vacant room. "As I figured," she turns back to the pinkette, "it's rather boring."

"Then by all means, don't waste your precious time here. All those seconds you'll _never_ get back." Rouzakura retrieves her book. She skims through the page she left off when a sudden nudge almost makes her drop it again. "What are you doing?" She demands the other girl.

Miyu, now seated, gives another none-too-gentle nudge of her hip. "I know your game," she begins with a hiss, "just because you got close to Sasuke-san once, doesn't mean that you can do it again, that you _deserve_ to."

Rouzakura returns to reading, intent on ignoring the extreme personality next to her, only for her means of escape being snatched away.

Miyu tauntingly waves the book in her face. "Come now, is that any way to treat the granddaughter of the Sandaime Hokage?"

On the outside, Rouzakura glares at her. On the inside, she's raving.

 **'My father got me that book, give it back or I'll yank your hair straight from your skull!** _ **SHONNORA~!**_ **'**

A stare off commences, and neither are willing to back down. It could've lasted until class began, but an outside force literally forces them to scoot over. Barely keeping herself from tumbling over, Rouzakura looks over her shoulder and narrows her eyes.

 _'Sasuke…'_

As expected of a shinobi prodigy, Sasuke kept his presence unknown until it's apparent he had to enforce to claim his self-designated spot by a window.

"Oh, Sasuke-san!" Miyu shoves Rouzakura's face out of the way, "Why are you cramming yourself at the edge? There's plenty of room for you over here."

Rouzakura rolls her eyes. _'If you pay any semblance of attention, you'd know that Sasuke likes to sit near a window. He feels far away from his shallow fan-base when he can look out whenever he wants.'_ Of course, Rouzakura would never share such intel.

Sasuke, naturally, doesn't humor Miyu with a response. He sits perfectly still with his fingers loosely laced under his nose.

Not liking that she's being sandwiched, Rouzakura snatches her book back and elbows Miyu off none-too-gently. "Personal space Miyu. As the honorable granddaughter you should know the rules: space between three students per row."

Miyu glares at the audacious pinkette then risks a glance at Sasuke, who isn't giving her the time of day. To save some dignity, Miyu eases her composure and stands up. "Well, since I no longer have any business here, I have more important matters to attend with." She saunters to the door, not doubt hoping Sasuke is peeking at her backside, and when it's shown that he's never strayed his eyes, she briefly hitched in her step before smoothly leaving the room.

Sighing in relief, Rouzakura returns to her book. After a few minutes, she glances at Sasuke, and he's as frozen as a marble statue.

 **岐**

 **路**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Here's the next segment, further displaying who Rouzakura is as a character. She has a full family: a mom, a dad, an older brother and an older sister.**

 **And for those who want a know the meaning behind her family's names:**

 ** _Totsuka_ (十拳) is from the name Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, which means "Sword of Length of Ten Fists". His name is open to mean something different in the future.**

 ** _Chihiro_ (** **千尋** **) means "thousand fathoms", though a good number of you should know that from _Spirited Away_ (a highly recommended masterpiece).**

 ** _Rakuen_ (楽園) means "paradise" or "pleasure garden".**

 ** _Rinkwa_ 's (** **輪** **花** **) name (and the character herself) has the most interesting origin. It's actually the reverse spelling of _hanawa_ (** **花** **輪** **), which means "garland of flowers" or "wreath". _Rin_ and _wa_ are of the same kanji (** **輪** **) that means "circle", "ring", etcetera. _Hana_ (** **花** **) is widely known to mean "flower", _ka_ is the modern sound for the historical sound _kwa_. Furthermore, Rinkwa is the reboot of the OC, Rini Uzumaki ****– created by retired DeviantArtist LuckiiNana. We've chatted about her character before she decided to call it quits. With her giving me the okay to use her character how I saw fit, I decided to have Rini introduced in a new light, now as Rinkwa Hagaromo (Rini now being used as a nickname by her brother).**

 **Rouzakura also has an adversary she'll have to deal with for a while. Hopefully this sequence further emphasizes how she is where Sasuke is concerned –** **that there is a history between them yet to be explored.**

 **Furthermore, there is a mentioning of Kaguya Ootsutsuki much earlier than in canon. Only, it is purposely made for Kaguya's origin to be made a mystery, so there's potential differences in comparison to how she was portrayed in the original. Kaguya will be a recurring factor in this story, her significance made known bit by bit.**

 **And as you may have noted, Sasuke in this story is not the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. One may think that because he's not alone anymore, he'll lighten up. But I think having fellow survivors would add more weight to Sasuke's turmoil.**

 **Harumi Uchiha belongs to fellow deviant _Uchiha-Harumi (Mary Harumi)_. Be sure to check out her content on the DeviantArt website.**

 ***Damare—"Shut up" in japanese**

 ***Juukei—Japanese for "cousin", particularly an older male.**


	3. Graduation Jitters part 3

Uzumaki Naruto springs off another roof and is already leaping off the edge of another as a jounin sprints two roofs behind. A chuunin had tried to block his way, but he simply ducks into an alley below, causing a collision course for the shinobi. A couple ANBU had joined in on the chase, but it doesn't matter – if nothing else, the village pariah knows how to give others the slip. Hard earned of years upon years of bailing out of his own trouble, he's on his way to being a certified escape artist.

Some of the ninjas are even covered in paint, due to earlier when Naruto dumped the can's leftovers on his first pursuers. People don't understand how a failure could avoid the clutches of elites for so long. Well, Naruto saw the value of being underestimated, and took it to his advantage. Plus, he knows how to annoy, get under someone's skin, which makes their performance sloppy and lackluster; it definitely helps that they're aggravated with him from the get-go.

Thusly he hops past a fence, and the shinobi follows his trick blindly. He snickers as he removes the fence camouflaging cloak – one of the most basic techniques – as the seasoned soldiers of the shadow rush to another block. Now in the clear, Naruto springs to his most favorite place. He enters the second he lands, plopping on the closest stool as he calls out. "Oi Teuchi!"

A man of squinting eyes and a thick neck approaches with a steaming bowl. "Naruto, right on time." He sets down freshly made ramen before the boy. "Miso Ramen with extra pork."

"Aw, Teuchi! You know my needs _-ttebayo!_ " Naruto snags and breaks apart a pair of chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" He relishes the first slurp of noodles.

"Ready to work, Touchan!" A teenaged brunette appears from the back and smiles at Naruto. "I see our number one customer is enjoying himself. You gave quite the wake-up call this morning, Naruto-kun."

The blond raises his head to give a big grin. "I'm doing my part for the community-ttebayo!"

"Is that so?"

Naruto flinches. _'Uh… oh…'_ Slowly he peeks over his shoulder, and sure enough, it's _him_. That scar across the nose is a dead giveaway. "Eh-heh… good morning Iruka-sensei… dattebayo." Naruto laughs nervously.

Said sensei smiles all saccharine. "Naruto, do you know what time it is?"

The boy gulps loudly. "U-Uh, Teuchi, Ayame-neechan… I'll come back later-ttebayo."

* * *

 **Konoha's Ninja Academy—Iruka's classroom**

"Wonder what the class clown did this time."

"Are you kidding? Did you not see the monument on your way here?"

"If we're lucky, maybe he'll be expelled."

"But the Hokage won't allow it!"

"Dunno why, that retarded dead-last won't make genin anyway."

The students chattered the second Iruka leapt out the window. Hot topics of the best attraction stores and a favorite movie bounced all over the room. So out of the blue someone mentioned the class delinquent, and disparaging clamor of his mere existence commences.

"My dad says he's a menace to society."

"Yeah well my mom says he's a plague to life."

There's only a handful of students who're not participating in such ruthlessness. One is lazily laying his head on his desk, the other next to him is chowing on a bag of chips. Sasuke remains coldly silent, his face still unreadable. Rouzakura has her back to him as she talks to the other girl beside her.

"So, you're ready for the graduation exam, Hinata-chan?" She gently nudges the girl's shoulder.

Hinata, a maiden of pale moonlight skin, short midnight hair, and pastel lavender irises. She timidly twiddles with her fingers, "I-I… I th-think we will b-be f-fine."

"Well, I _know_ we'll be _great_." Rouzakura smiles, "Don't sell yourself so short, Hina, you're more than qualified to become genin. Heck, I dare to say you could've graduated years prior."

"A-Ano, I s-suppose…"

"Well I'm _certain_."

Hinata shyly smiles at her friend. "I kn-know you'll m-make it, R-Rouzakura-chan."

At her friend's gentle encouragement, Rouzakura brilliantly grins.

Right then, a girl with pale blonde hair fashioned in a long ponytail butts in. "You seem ridiculously confident, Rouzakura."

The pinkette sighs. "Quite rude of you to eavesdrop, Ino." That's what she's saying out loud, what she really meant is:

 **'Go back to drooling over the Uchiha you snobby sow!'**

Ino snorts. "Aw, the little civilian girl is still pretending to be a kunoichi. When are you going to realize you're making a fool of yourself?"

Rouzakura turns to look her dead in the eyes. "About the same time you realize that you're nothing more than a pudgy boar trapped in a genjutsu of being an underweighted prepubescent. Rephrased in way you can understand: _never_."

Hinata covers her mouth to curb the bubbling giggle-fit.

Ino is less than amused, staring aghast and gaping affront, and her rage curdling like a volcano. But she doesn't get the chance to explode as the class quietens. They can all hear their sensei ranting from the down the hall.

" **You are on thin ice, young man! To pull such a stunt and to disturb the peace the way you did! Sandaime-sama had to deal with several complaints! Of all the pranks you've committed, this is by far the WORST!** "

The shouting grows louder as he comes closer to his homeroom. The shouji-door slides open in a flinching slam, and the framework portrays an irate Iruka with a firm grip of some rope. He marches in, and the rope drags in a tightly bound Naruto.

"You are going to clean the mess you made, _right_ after class! Do I make myself clear?!" He finished hauling the boy in the middle of the room.

Naruto scoffs.

Iruka towers over his wayward student with hands planted on his waist, signifying further lecture. "You've flunked the Graduation Exam twice already! You can't afford to lollygag and expect a difference the third time around! It's a ludicrous thought process! If you ever hope to make it, you need to stop and use your head for once, and actually study the precepts of shinobi!" Lecture over, he's left panting, his tanned face red and his posture slightly hunched.

In return he gets an inelegant snort as a response. Naruto jerks his head away, and Iruka could almost swear he saw a grimace marring the boy's face. "Your point?" Naruto says offhandedly.

Iruka could feel his blood vessel spasm under his eye. "Alright then…" He points sharply to his class, "For your recalcitrance, Uzumaki Naruto, everyone line up alphabetically right now to perform the Henge no Jutsu, in my image!"

Soon follows a chorus of groaning and complaints and promises that Naruto will pay. Nevertheless, they followed directions and are soon lined up by their surnames. A handful steps up and performs the technique flawlessly.

Then Iruka calls for "Hagoromo Rouzakura."

The rosette takes a deep breath and steps forth. Raising her hands, she does the seals categorized by memory: _'Dog→Boar→Ram.'_ In a puff of smoke, it's as if Iruka is looking in a mirror.

"Excellent, Rouzakura!" He praises.

Rouzakura poofs back to herself and bows gratefully. "Arigato, sensei!" She turns to Hinata to give an a-okay sign and skips back to her seat.

After a few more H's. "Hyuuga Hinata."

The timid girl conducts the technique with unparalleled grace.

Iruka nods. "Very gracious, Hinata."

Hinata bows and returns to her seat. Through her bangs, she catches Naruto giving her a big smile as she passes him, making her blush prettily and a smaller smile gracing her lips.

More students came and went. Then, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Cue the collective squeals of " _Sasuke-kun~!_ "

Rouzakura rolls her eyes and returns to her book. Naruto grunts his displeasure.

As expected, the top of the class perfectly effectuates.

"Very good, Sasuke." Iruka congratulates.

Finally. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The blond struts forth.

"Hurry up and screw up!" Ino hollers from further down.

Naruto glares at her. "Piss off ya bitchy boar!"

"Whatcha call me!?"

Iruka intervenes. "QUIET! Naruto, watch your mouth! Ino, don't interrupt!"

Naruto and does the seals, then with a shout, "Henge!" The classroom is almost filled with huge puffs of clouds. When things are cleared again…

" _Hello~_ " Seductive mist teasingly covers an otherwise naked woman. A curvaceous figure, her long blonde hair tied in pigtails, she's bent forward while blowing a kiss.

"GWAAA!?" Iruka's thwarted backwards by a bursting nosebleed. He's not the only one, many of the boys are badly affected.

The sultry lady disappears and Naruto's guffawing like mad. "Wahahaha! Gotcha! Oiroke no Jutsu never fails-ttebayo!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN TRICKS! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!" Iruka's nose is now clogged and his head so large he could bite _Naruto's_ head off.

The jokester has the decency to at least _act_ shamefaced.

Hinata hides her red face behind her hands. Sasuke doesn't move an inch. Rouzakura has the book unnecessarily pressed to her nose.


	4. Graduation Jitters part 4

Expediting time, it's now lunch period. Through the rambles of relief and hunger, some pupils go to the grassy fields, others to the courtyard, and there's the few going to a nearby food stand.

After grabbing their bento-boxes, Hinata and Rouzakura are strolling through the field with a particular place in mind.

"Hey Pinky!"

Right when they were at the treeline, they _had_ to be intercepted by their 'senpai'. Three older girls strut towards them, the middle one with uneven purple hair looks down on them with that insufferably smug smirk.

Hinata hunches into herself while Rouzakura tries hard not to show her annoyance. Instead she puts on a friendly face. "Good afternoon, Ami-senpai."

Ami snickers. "I prefer more groveling than that, but nothing a little practice won't fix."

"A-Ano, we d-don't want an-ny trouble." Hinata tries speak up, only to have unwanted attention on her.

"Oh lookie girls, the little mouse actually _squeaks_!"Ami's gang laughs on cue. "B-But, I-I-I can't-t h-h-hear y-you, s-sp-spe-speak u-up-p!"

Her hands are pressed to her chest like a shield, Hinata is at a loss of what to say. "I-I… I m-mean…"

Having more than enough, Rouzakura snorts. "How deplorably generic of you."

As expected, the 'leader' turns sharply to her. " _Excuse_ you?"

"Honestly senpai, such behavior is belittling, and sets terrible examples for us kouhai." She peeks over Ami's shoulder, "You agree with me don't you, Sasuke?"

" _S-Sasuke-kun!_ " Desperately saving face she turns her back to her targets. "O-Oh, hey there Sasuke-kun~!" She _tries_ to be cute, "It's not w-what it looks like, I was just—"

"Um, Ami?"

"Don't interrupt me! Can't you see I'm speaking to Sasuke-kun?"

"But that's the thing…" The afro-haired girl points out. "Sasuke-kun is not here."

"N-Nani…?" Brown eyes snap open to see the Prince Sasuke of her imagination… doesn't exist. Her friends cautiously backs away as she snarls like a beast.

"Grrrrr, that bubblegum floozy tricked me _again!_ "

* * *

"Two years our junior, and she _still_ hasn't graduated? It really doesn't matter that she's from a long line of ninjas."

"A-Ami-senp-pai never tr-truly took her training s-s-seriously."

"Almost none of the girls do, it's so embarrassing."

The two girl sit upon a small hill, peaked with a lone plum blossom tree. One blossom flutters near Rouzakura, and she extends her hand for it to rest on her palm. "It's a shame plum blossoms are seldom seen…" she says wistfully, "They're just as beautiful as cherry blossoms."

"Y-Yes." Hinata marvels at the branches raining plum petals.

Rouzakura lightly blows the flower from her hand and resumes eating. After swallowing a sushi, she asks, "How are things back at home?"

Hinata's fingers hitch, making her chopsticks drop a dumpling. Her gaze downcasts from the cascading blossoms. "A-Ano… O-Otousan has b-become impatient with m-me." Her breath shutters, "H-He expressed h-how Hanabi-ch-chan would be a-a b-b-better suited h-heiress."

This catches the rosette off guard. "You're little sister, _seriously_?"

The disgraced heiress silently nods.

Rouzakura is angered, her small brows furling and her fingers clenching her chopsticks, threatening to snap. "So what, because you're kind-hearted and considerate to the lesser members of your family, you're unqualified?"

"Th-The Main B-Branch desires an heir wh-who will abi-ide to tr-tradit-tions. Besides… I-I am cons-sidered w-w-weak."

Rouzakura lets out a frustrated sigh. "You're _not_ weak, Hinata." No familiar honorifics or friendly nicknames to show she's being serious. "If you were weak, you wouldn't continue being who you are, you would've become the clan's subjugated doll, but you didn't. You keep doing what you know is right, and you're taking risks."

"B-But…"

"It's _their_ words and _their_ judgment that's bringing you down!"

Hinata couldn't say anything else, because her analytical friend speaks the truth.

So she inelegantly changes the subject. "N-Neji-niisan i-is home."

Rouzakura quirks an eyebrow. "Your cousin with a void for a heart and venomous spiders festering his soul?"

"Rouzakura-ch-chan!"

"I'm being brutally blunt again, sorry." The pinkette apologetically fiddles with her hair. "But can you really blame me? Everytime we're near that guy, it feels like he's trying to kill you with glaring alone! I'm really worried for you, Hinata-chan, these aren't good signs."

The young Hyuuga shakes her head. "N-Neji-niis-san won't d-do anything fatal towards m-me. He w-wouldn't r-r-risk it." She gives a weak smile, a futile attempt of assurance.

Rouzakura stares intently at her friend, catching on to the falsehood. But, knowing she couldn't do anything (not against a prestigiously prodigious clan) without causing greater risks, all she could do right now is nod her helplessness. "If you say so…"

岐

路

Back at his sanctuary that is Ichiraku, Naruto slurps up his second serving of ramen.

"Goodness Naruto-kun, take your time! It's not going anywhere." A teenaged brunette chortles.

"But it's so good, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto's grin is bright and genuine.

Ayame affectionately ruffles his hair. "Still, take your time. It's a miracle you can savor the flavor with how fast you're guzzling."

The boy laughs while wiping his face. "Okay Neechan, I'll try." He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded note.

Ayame's eyes glimmer in recognition. "Another one of those?"

He silently nods, so intent as he unfolds and reads.

 _I've heard you're still having trouble with the cloning technique. Should we meet up later?_

 _~Tsukihana_

Naruto sighs and refolds the note.

"Everything alright?" Ayame regains his attention.

"Yeah, she's just asking for us to meet up later." The blond stands, "Lunch time's almost over," looking down at the note, he extends it to Ayame. "Neechan, could you…?"

Knowing his request, she gently take the note in hand. "I'll dispose it for you."

"Arigato!"

The two waves farewell as Naruto dashes off. Soon after, Ayame carefully has the note's edge touch the flames boiling the broth.

岐

路

When someone peaks high in the pyramid, be it reputation or social class (or both), the line between real and fake becomes blurred. It's difficult to tell who is truly a well-meaning friend. Uchiha Sasuke does not have such an issue, because he simply negated potential companionship all together. He does so by giving off this cold unwelcoming aura, and meeting his eyes is a more drastic risk. His practiced intimidation reached the point that even his fanbase is forced to be less overzealous, gushing off to the side as he walks by and the few bold occasions they try to sit next to him during class.

Finding a secluded spot to enjoy his lunch in peace isn't as hard as it used to be either, whether he eats at the far end of the courtyard or in an empty classroom. Today, he is in the mood to partake on the academy's roof. Slowly nibbling on a rice ball with a drinking can of tomato soap on the side, Sasuke gazes at nothing, looking almost wistful.

Whenever he gets like this, he ends up trapping himself with certain thoughts, certain thoughts he purposely keeps locked away. Memories of happiness, reminiscence of love he'll never have again. These reflections embitters his taste buds, and the rice balls his cousin painstakingly made for him is in danger of going to waste. While he sincerely appreciates her making him lunch everyday, and every bento was delicious, in hindsight he reluctantly acknowledged that it all pales in comparison to the lunches his mother used to make for him.

His mother… out of everyone in his family, it was his mother he was most closest to. She was the one to teach so many things, whether it's a survival tactic or a domestic chore. Unwillingly his mind vividly pictured his mother as she taught him how to make rice balls. He recalled how he accidentally meshed his first attempt, how pieces of rice clung to his hands and then is face when he impulsively dropped his head into his hands in his frustration. He remembers his mother's laugh, so lilt and comforting, and he doesn't know if the luminous glow surrounding her was from the afternoon sunlight, or if it's how you remember a loved one no longer with you.

Either way, he's had enough of memory lane and shakes away the funereal nostalgia. Ironically, the remains of his rice ball is now mush in his fist and, eying it with discontent, he tosses it away in disgust. Wiping away rice clumps, he snatches up his tomato soap can and takes a few sips. With his head notched upward, his eyes catches the sky, and unconsciously he wonders if his mother was watching out for him as she did in life. If she is proud of who he's becoming so far.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Building up Rouzakura's character traits, I want her to be somebody who's very intelligent and observant. Ironically, these are the traits Sakura's been said to have, but personally I think they're seldom seen.**

 **And please allow me to make this fair warning while it's still early: YES, this IS a story that's replacing Sakura as the main heroine. As stated in a previous note, Rouzakura Hagoromo's character is compare and contrast to Sakura Haruno, spliced with characterizations that's purely her own. I liked Sakura's design, so I didn't want to revoke it, but at the same time I've been desensitized of ever warming up to Sakura. Rouzakura became the solution for me for a number of years, and I'm proud with all the content I planned for her growth, some of them even being heavy influences from fanfic who interpret Sakura so much better; I will give credit where credit is due when those moments arise.**

 **Sakura will still be in the story, but her role is where I feel she belongs, a supportive role. If you prefer her to remain a main character, then 1-she's the main character in canon and nothing will ever change that, and 2-she plays a more prominent role in my other Naruto fandom NARUTO-NEO.**

" **Tsukihana" is actually a strong reference to a pretty popular Naruto fanfic on this sight. It should be quite obvious but here's a hint – it has over 3000 faves.**

 **And finally, I've always liked the idea of depicting Sasuke as a Mama's Boy. The idea of him and Mikoto having been so close is a very endearing concept too good to overlook, so this is a taste of future events of a boy who yearns for his mother's nurturing embrace.**


End file.
